Dear Readers, As we dive into another edition of our bookish journey, I’m excited to share with you a delightful mix of fabulous reads and some that, well, missed the mark. This month, we’ve encountered stories that transported us to new worlds, characters who lingered long after the final page, and narratives that challenged our perspectives in unexpected ways. From heartwarming tales of resilience to gripping mysteries that kept us guessing, the literary landscape has been rich and varied. Of course, no reading journey is complete without a few disappointments, and we’ll explore those too—books that promised much but left us wanting more. So, grab your favorite beverage, settle into […]
Read more...Tag Archives: william kent krueger
The River We Remember
“Our lives and the lives of those we love merge to create a river whose current carries us forward from our beginning to our end. Because we are only one part of the whole, the river each of us remembers is different, and there are many versions of the stories we tell about our past.”–William Kent Krueger, The River We Remember. William Kent Krueger has done it again with The River We Remember, a captivating mystery set in the heart of small-town Minnesota. Set on Memorial Day 1958, the story opens with the discovery of the half-clothed body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn in the Alabaster River, dead from a […]
Read more...101 Books to Read for Native American Heritage Month
November is Native American Heritage Month, and I always try to dive into a book by at least one indigenous author during this time. So, after some solid research and recommendations from fellow readers, here’s a list of top-rated fiction and nonfiction books you might want to check out. We’ve got three categories to explore: First up, books penned by Native American authors, showcasing their unique voices and perspectives. Then, there are bestselling works by non-Native authors that still explore Indigenous culture and issues. Finally, there are several honorable mentions. These gems might not have gathered as many reviews, but they’re worth your consideration. Oh, and just a heads-up. I […]
Read more...The Levee
William Kent Krueger‘s novella, The Levee, explores the cost of survival during the historic 1927 Mississippi Flood, one of the worst natural disasters in US history. At 80 miles wide, it submerged 27,000 square miles of land and displaced nearly 640,000 people across from Illinois to Louisiana. It is during this calamity that Krueger has set his novella. To save a family trapped by the rising water, four men in a rowboat battle the deluge: three are convicts coerced into service by the local prison; the fourth, their leader, is driven by concealed motives. When they arrive at Ballymore, an ancestral home protected by a towering, circular levee, not everyone […]
Read more...November 2022 Picks and Pans
Another month of reading came and went, and so did my deadline for writing this post! Oh well, I hope you find something to love here. Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid “We live in a world where exceptional women have to sit around waiting for mediocre men.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, Carrie Soto is Back I’ve never been much of a tennis fan, although I took the obligatory tennis lessons at Wesley Park several summers through community ed and then married into a tennis crazed family of jocks. Despite my lack of athleticism, Carrie Soto is Back was engrossing from start to finish. When Carrie Soto retires […]
Read more...Fox Creek
Another fabulous novel by Edgar winner William Kent Krueger! Fox Creek is the nineteenth installment of the Cork O’Connor series and my twenty-first book by this talented writer. Do I enjoy his work… you bet as we sat here in Minnesota! In Fox Creek, Cork races against time to save his wife Rainy, Ojibwe healer Henry Meloux, and a mysterious woman from violent mercenaries. Dolores Morriseau has come to Henry for guidance. When men fill the woods trying to capture her, Meloux leads them to safety deep in his beloved Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Well over 100 years old, he must do his best to outwit the mercenaries who […]
Read more...Amy’s September Reads and Reviews
There’s not much I enjoy more than curling up with a book on a crisp autumn evening. I have a feeling some of you agree. When I write these posts, I intentionally include reviews of books I loved and others I didn’t. Why? Because we all like different things. Being a writer and editor makes me a tough critic, but I do my best to include both pros and cons on each book. Maybe you’ll find the perfect read in this month’s group. A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner “The person who completes your life is not so much the person who shares all the years of your existence, […]
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